The Los Angeles County Regional Planning Commission today is expected to approve another large housing project near Santa Clarita--the 2,545-unit Westcreek development on the west bank of San Francisquito Creek. The development has long been decried by local environmentalists who have all but conceded defeat on the project destined for county land just outside the city boundary.

Joining officials of Santa Paula, Moorpark and Ventura County, the Santa Clarita City Council has voted to appeal the Los Angeles County Regional Planning Commission's approval of the controversial Newhall Ranch project. The decision Tuesday night reinforced the council's previously stated opposition to the plan, which would bring 70,000 new residents to a 12,000--acre site in the hills west of the city against the Ventura County line.

The Santa Clarita Valley's largest developer received tentative approval Monday for the second phase of a 12,000-unit, master-planned community north of Valencia. The Los Angeles County Regional Planning Commission unanimously approved a proposal by Newhall Land & Farming Co. to build 1,815 housing units and two shopping centers in the new community of North River. The Board of Supervisors is expected to give final approval in coming months to this phase, known as East Copperhill.

Moving quickly on an issue that has dragged on for nearly six years, the Los Angeles County Regional Planning Commission on Tuesday approved plans to allow Soka University to expand its campus in the Santa Monica Mountains. The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors could make a final decision as early as Nov. 14, officials said.

The Los Angeles County Regional Planning Commission has indefinitely postponed a vote on whether to allow the developer of Ahmanson Ranch to cut down 10 oak trees along Thousand Oaks Boulevard in Calabasas to make way for the project. "The commission wants to study the issue some more," said Richard Frazier, a regional planner for the county. "There are some additional legal issues that need to be looked at." Ahmanson Land Co.

After listening to more than an hour of testimony about the harmful impact the recession has had on the development business, the Los Angeles County Regional Planning Commission narrowly agreed Monday to allow 3,623 housing units to be built near Castaic Lake.

Buffeted by two gubernatorial vetoes in as many years, Los Angeles County officials have abandoned efforts to exempt the county from a state law aimed at controlling growth around airports. Under current law, local planners must fashion comprehensive land-use plans to ensure that developments around airports--including Los Angeles International Airport and those in Van Nuys, Pacoima, Palmdale and Burbank--are compatible with flight safety and noise control regulations.

The massive, 70,000-resident Newhall Ranch project--the largest single zoning application ever brought before Los Angeles County--took a major step forward Tuesday as the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors held the only public hearing on the matter. The proposal to build a new town from scratch along the banks of the Santa Clara River near the Ventura County border would involve building 24,300 homes, a water reclamation plant and schools.

Seeking to preserve some of the area's most important natural features, Los Angeles County planning officials voted Wednesday to update land-use policies for a 32-square-mile area of the Santa Monica Mountains. The county Regional Planning Commission voted 3 to 0 to approve the North Area Plan and its final environmental impact report.